As you approach the Kasai Canoe Slalom Centre in eastern Tokyo, the first thing you see is carefully stacked racing canoes, their sleek, pointed hulls glistening in the sun.
Behind the canoes, a torrent of water rushes down a purpose-built slope, the scene of this afternoon’s men’s canoe slalom final.
The canoe slalom course is 200 meters long, with 25 gates that the canoeists must duck, spin and weave between using just a single paddle to power themselves as they are carried down the course by a torrent of water. Top to bottom, there’s a height difference of 4.5 meters, designed to replicate a fast-flowing mountain stream.